Saturday, November 08, 2008

What's the Difference Between Sexism and Misogyny?

It's confusing. The terms sexism and sexist received more air play in one week on Fox News when Sarah Palin was named McCain's running mate in the US presidential election than in a year's worth of media coverage about Hillary Clinton's campaign to become the Democratic candidate.

So what's the difference? Sexism is the manifestation of attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender. Misogyny is hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women.

Thus this offer from an adult movie producer to Sarah Palin combines the worst of sexism and misogyny. Did Dan Quayle, the prettiest VP the Republicans ever elected to power receive an offer to star in a porn film when he was defeated? If anyone ever doubted that intrinsically, the first assessment that men make of a woman, any woman would be: "Is she f***able?" then this certainly confirms it.

Had the popular male response, regardless of their political allegiance, been with regard to Hillary Clinton and the above question, "Yes!", then the US might presently have a female president-in-waiting.